Glass Coffins
by E.R. Burke
Summary: A mysterious book is unearthed in a remote island. It contains secrets that could well save or destroy the world. The exorcists who go to investigate the tome end up finding something even more complicated and unexpected than their wildest dreams...
1. Opening and First Chapter

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**ANother great Landmark! My first serious DGM story! I hope you enjoy the opening and first chapter!**

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**Glass Coffins**

Deep from the depths of a chasm that cut through the hillside like a butcher knife to flesh, steam bled from the Earth. It danced into the air, casting ghostly images into the ground against the light of a full moon. The shadows of the steam were to be short-lived, blown away by a gust of wind. The moisture and heat remained even in the otherwise cool darkness of night. A stray cat crept to the edge of the gap and stared down into the abyss, raising its lips in a hiss.

_It's only a matter of time_, she thought with rage lingering on her tongue. _It will only be a matter of time until they find it._ The last of the steam's silhouette dissipated.

Komui lounged back in his chair and looked over the bi-weekly report. Or, rather, he looked at about five of the five hundred reports that he had mostly dumped on Reever to take care of. His feet had been comfortably up on the desk while he read along the usual uninteresting drabble the Order members were forced to write every other week. What had he actually discovered from these? Well, Kanda actually had quite beautiful penmanship. That was about it though. Never had anything actually important come from one of those to-be-shredded reports.

Until that day.

For the first time in a very long time, Komui could feel his stomach doing flips just reading a report from a group of Finders that had been sent to a newly discovered island in the Mediterranean. He cleared his throat and tried to call for the overworked assistant, but all that he managed was a tiny squeak. He had to concentrate very hard to keep the file from slipping right out of his hands and being washed away in the sea of paper on which his desk was floating with effort.

That report may well have contained the things that would ruin, or save them all.

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**Part 1- The Book of the Dead**

"You're kidding me!" Lavi whipped the papers around in his hands for the hundredth time, looking for more information that was not there. "This is unreal! This is just… wow!"

Allen rubbed his head as he scuffed a hole in the dirt with the heel of his boot. The boat, not surprisingly, was very late. "Lavi, can you explain to me what this things is, exactly?"

The young Bookman gave Allen a bemused look. "You don't understand it?!"

"… Not really."

The white-haired boy could hear a very irritated Kanda sigh behind him, wishing that the boy hadn't given the red-head another excuse to talk.

Lavi, on the other hand, was overjoyed to have an excuse to feel very smart. "Allen, they found the Book of the Dead! The Netherworld Tome!"

"… What?"

"It's a book that contains the very secrets of life and death." He cleared his voice, attempting to sound official. "The book has been mentioned a few times in mythology, most frequently by the Egyptians. However, not even they really understood the sheer power sealed away in the pages of the Netherworld Tome. It's said that the book was written before the destruction of the Old World by the Millennium Earl, and it managed to survive because one of the last groups of people left surviving in the world sealed it away inside of a cave in the Earth. Recently, due to mysterious seismic activity, that cave opened back up, and the book was found!"

"…So what does that have to do with us?"

"… Good question…"

Inspector Howard Link's eye twitched slightly. "Allen, it's a book that controls Life and Death. It's not something we can afford to let the Noah and the Earl to get first."

He tilted his head to one side. "I guess you're right."

Lenalee chewed on the edge of her thumb and stared at the open water that stretched before them. The blue-green seemed to calm her nerves slightly, but not enough to allow her to function without further distraction. At a time when the Dark Order was so vulnerable, they had found something that might tilt every odd in their favor. Or kill them all. However, the item did not play on her mind as lightly as it came from her mouth.

The dark-haired woman's breath came in bursts of excitement. Her long fang-like teeth were bared in a glittering grin to match the fire in her eyes. "It's been such a long time. This could be it, Orya. This could be the ticket to freedom!" When she did not get an answer, the woman shot an angry glare to the blonde girl who was sitting quietly behind.

Sitting on her lap was a glistening polearm that was mostly hidden in the shade the two female sat in. Her green eyes showed no apparent focus, trailing off into the bark of the tree. She was very silent for a very long time, getting on the nerves of her companion.

"Hey! Answer me!"

"Shut up Sagani." Her tone was overflowing with rage and discomfort.

The woman bit her tongue as she stared at the younger female. '_This is so unfair!'_ she thought. '_I should be the Head, not her!! That little brat! UGH!_

"I have better things to do than sit here," the blonde said with frustration. "You take care of the _guests_. I'm going home." And, without another word or explanation, the girl stood and left, fading away into the shade of the tree.

Sagani grumbled and furled her brows tightly. "What a little wench! Leaving ME to do all the work?!" She crossed her arms and seethed in silence.

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**Please review this story!**


	2. The Beautiful Chaos

**Guuuuuhhhh... I'm finding excuses to avoid the dreaded Algebra homework. -__- Please enjoy. R & R!!!**

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**Chapter 2- The Beautiful Chaos**

The water was oozing out of the ground after every step the exorcists, finders, and Crow member took. The saturated earth chilled them slightly, even in such an unusually warm climate. The five guests trailed relatively close behind the Finder who had so patiently awaited their late boat for four hours more than expected.

"I'm very pleased that all of you could make it," the Finder grinned. His dark eyes shined with a relieved joy. "I'm going to call the others to tell them you're here."

He dialed a number from the phone strapped to his pack. Everybody waited with great respect, entertaining themselves in small ways. Allen went back to drawing in the dirt with the toe of his shoe. Link kept close watch on his every move. Lenalee daydreamed about what sort of wonderful things might come at the end of the war's path. Lavi scanned the area and admired the scenery, making him wonder if there ever really had been an earthquake. Kanda, however, was looking around for a very different reason. Something in the air didn't feel right, unnatural even. At first, he believed he was getting paranoid from spending too much time with Lavi and the Moyashi. However, the closer they walked to their destination, the more he could feel all of his senses getting sharpening and his mind alerting to even the slightest movements.

"I… I can't get them to pick up…" The Finder gave a stare of confusion and deep concern. "This isn't… this isn't normal."

And it was those words that led them all into turmoil. Everybody found that without much thought at all, they were dashing down the road and stumbling over their own feet, the instinct of danger overwhelming all other thought.

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Bloodshed. Death. Destruction. Fire. Agony.

All that remained of the camp lay before them in ruins. Corpses were scattered like dolls, lifeless on the ground, swimming in their own blood. Lenalee shielded her face from the carnage in the chests of Lavi and Allen, who were just as shocked as she. The grass and rocks were stained scarlet. Not a breath or heartbeat could be heard in the absolute silence. All was still. All was in chaos.

"Wha- What happened here?!" Allen worked horribly hard to keep tears from working their way up and out.

"No…" The Finder let his contemplations drift and fade. "It wasn't supposed to be this way…"

Kanda gave the man an evil and serious glare. "What do you know?"

"I… I knew that woman was bad! I knew it!" He clenched his fists and stared at his fallen companions. "When we entered the cave, there was a mysterious woman already there! She… she must be after the book!"

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"Damned Orya!" Sagani spat on the stone floor and cracked her neck, examining the tattered book closely. "I can't believe that this ancient piece of crap is going to do any harm. What is that child's problem?! Freak," she spoke of her superior with ill tone. Her bare foot curled comfortably around the base of the pedestal.

Her throat gave out a little laugh, pleasure abundant. She licked the blood off of her lips and stroked the tome. "But, she really doesn't mater all that much, does she?" She sounded more content and filled with malice than she had before. "No! Of course not… If she really thinks that you're SUCH a threat, I'll take care of you. After all," Sagani giggled, her dark hair rising with enthusiasm, "she is the Head Seer." The woman gripped the book, lifting it to her face and blowing away the dust.

"Hold it right there!!" Sagani sighed and gave a crooked frown as she turned to face the exorcists blocking her way. She could tell by the look in their eyes that they were filled with fear, simply by looking into her eyes.

"Ah… so perhaps Orya wasn't as stupid as I thought. Hm, no matter." She cricked her neck again, pulling the book down under one arm. Long and unkempt nails flicked on hr fingertips, beckoning the exorcists closer. "Tell me, Earthly Humans, what makes you believe that you have power of command over me?"

"Shut up!!" Lavi held tight to his hammer which was out and ready. "Let go of that book!"

"OH! Is that what you wanted?! Why, of course!" She spun around and held the book over its spot, but then pulled it back in taunt. "Fools. Even my foolish leader is not stupid enough to trust the likes of you with the power of the Netherworld Tome!"

Allen rushed in blindly, his anti-Akuma weapon drawn. But, with but a wave of the dark murderer's hand, he was gone. Allen had vanished in the blink of an eye with nothing to show he had ever existed but the sadistic laughter that filled the room.

"Say goodbye," she grinned as she clicked her fingers at her sides.

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**Is Allen dead?! Who is Sagani?! What are the hidden goals of the two females?! When will I stop asking questions that are painfully distinct?!**

**Find out in the next chapter!  
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	3. Behind the Surface

**Chapter 3- Behind the Surface**

"ALLEN!!" Lenalee screamed loudly, staring at the emptiness where he had once stood. However, the painful echoing of her fear was too late. He was gone.

And still Sagani continued that brutal, awful, manic laughter that was like a spear right into the girl's stomach. "Aw, don't worry. You'll be joining him soon enough!" Her eyes turned hard like steel, indicating desire for another attack.

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It was cold. She was shivering now as she pulled her long sleeves back over her pale arms. The girl, at that moment, was starting to regret going in such frigid waters. Digging deeply into her backpack, she managed to locate a simple blue rag that was hastily tied around her wet hair. She quivered a little more before pulling on her worn sandals and throwing a stunning Naginata over her shoulder and slowly walking down a sketchy path. A small cat poked its head out of the entwined plants on either side of the pathway, soon rushing out to join the girl.

She looked down with a small hum. "Ah! There you are! You had me worried for a while there!" The cat gave a blank, if not slightly offended stare. "Teyz! Don't look at me that way. Just because I care doesn't mean I'm soft, understood?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." His voice was shrill and a bit odd coming from a cat. It was very smoothly accented. "Your sensei might not agree though."

She scoffed. "As if he'd care." She stretched out her limbs and gave a very humorous little skip to her stroll. "Do you know what day it is Teyz?" she tested him.

"… Should I?"

"You should."

"Let me guess then… Um… Not something that actually matters?"

"Exactly!" She smiled brightly.

"You're doing it again!"  
"Doing what?"

"Smiling when you're angry! Stop it!"

"Eh? OH! So I am!" She wiped the grin right off. "Sorry about that. No, you're right. I have to go to a meeting tonight. One week from now I'll be living in Hell!"

"Please don't joke about that." The girl looked down again, seeing that instead of a cat Teyz had then become a large dog. "Are you actually even going to the meeting this time?"  
"It's mandatory."

"You didn't answer the question."

"It's mandatory. Which, in turn, means…?" She was fishing for an answer.

"You're going to avoid it and come up with a really lame excuse, right?"

"We have a winner!" She twirled her weapon in her fingers for a minute before pausing in her place. "Do you smell that?"  
Teyz took in a deep whiff of the air. "It smells like blood."

"Yeah, that's what I thought…" Her bright green eyes narrowed as she looked closely at everything around her. "Where's it coming from?"

Teyz breathed in harshly, stepping confidently in front of the female as he tracked the scent. His head tended to tilt one way or the other whenever they turned. The two were forced off of the path and into the brush, ripping and grabbing at their faces and clothes.

All the while, the girl could feel her stomach churning wildly. It seemed unclear if it was due to fear, excitement, or simple curiosity.

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"Auuugh…" Allen rubbed his head with a bruised hand and looked about with obvious uncertainty. The landscape was changed. He could recall he had been in a dark cave only a moment before, but now he was outside. Allen Walker was on his back in the middle of the woods. To his right there was a delightful little stream that flowed with a welcoming noise and was accompanied by the curious glances of many a wild animal safely on the other bank. To his left was a spectacular emptiness, filled with not more than an endless wall of trees that broke any possibility of seeing the horizon. But it felt void, like a border, just looking at it.

He tore gaze away from it, examining his own beaten body. His normal arm was bruised and bloody almost past recognition, and neither of his feet seemed to obey his orders.

His stomach let out a low growl.

"Awwwww…" he groaned, thinking only of his hunger.

A shadow passed over Allen, causing him to awaken and look up.

"What in the world is he doing here?" A shaggy brown dog sniffed his face, moving its lips as it spoke to the girl that towered above. His tone was displeased.

"EH?!" The young exorcist tried desperately to scoot away, but was stopped by the awful pain that shot all over from his back. He collapsed back to the ground, reduced to staring in horror.

She sighed. "He's a lively one." The girl knelt down next to him and looked right into his soul with a pair of big green eyes. And then…

She smiled.

"Hello. I'm Raia." She held out her hand to the child.

"I… Hi. I'm Allen." He reached out to take her hand, but another growl of hunger interrupted. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, not a problem!" She reached into her backpack and pulled out a rice ball. "Well then… Allen… What brings you to the Nether Plain?"

"The… the what?"


End file.
